Responsible Pet Ownership

In my opinion along with my experience at the Durham Animal Shelter, I believe that responsible pet ownership is based around being accountable. When one decides they want to own a dog/cat/critter/etc they need to make sure that they are ready. The person needs to  be accountable for their actions. Instead of blindly purchasing an animal because you feel sorry or because it is so cute or because you want to surprise your significant other, one should be prepared. Being a responsible pet owner means that you have the funds to be able to care for the dog in the worst conditions, meaning that if the dog gets sick or happens to eat plastic and needs a minor surgery, one should be able to afford that. Also, I feel that responsible pet ownership also entails ones time. A person shouldn't purchase a pet if they work forty hours a week. It is not fair to the animal to be locked in a house or cage all of the time. Also, one should make sure that they have enough space for the animal. I know a man who owns a Great Dane yet lives in a one-bedroom apartment... that is not fair to the dog that is literally the same height as him when standing on its hind legs.
Shelter Worker, Anonymous: "I believe that responsible pet ownership is treating the animal as if they are becoming part of the family. The new owner needs to be responsible for themselves before they can be responsible for their animal."
Shelter Visitor, Anonymous: "Responsible Pet Ownership means being responsible for the animal under all circumstances. You should treat your animal with respect as if it were a human; it needs to be fed, it needs to go to the 'doctor' for check ups, and it needs love and attention."

This picture is the BEST representation of responsible pet ownership. This image displays the wonderful dog Broady and his amazing owner, Sarah. Sarah adopted Broady after a long time of visits to the animal shelter she volunteered at. She didn't give in on a whim or feel sorry for the dog; over accumulated time her and the dog grew a strong bond and she found out they were made for each other. After well thought out time, she adopted Broad and treats him like a prince. She brings him EVERYWHERE! One day she had to work and I asked her to hang out and her response was "I want to spend time with Broady today because I haven't seen him all day." If she is busy and can't be with the dog she gives him the time he deserves at the end of the day. She constantly takes him to the dog park. Even if she goes out to grab a drink she brings her friend along and makes sure there is out door seating so Broady can be part of the crowd too. She loves this dog so much she even has a tattoo of his exact paw print on her foot.

Owner Surrender

This cat is an owner surrender. It was given up because the owners could not afford to keep the cat anymore.  The apartment complex they reside in charges a large fee to have an animal.

This cat was surrendered because the child in the house was allergic to the cat.

This cat was surrendered because the owners do not have the proper time to care for the cat.

Animal Turnover

I noticed that there is definitely some turn over going on at the animal shelter from this week compared to last. I went into the same catroom as last week and 4 or the cats I had photographed were gone and there were 4 new cats in the room. The number does not surprise me at all, honestly. After receiving the initial information about the amount of cats that are euthanized at the shelter, I expected to see a turn over.

This is sweet Bertha who is still at the shelter this week. Bertha lives in kennel 8. She is a very sweet lab mix that needs lots of love and attention and it is obvious how loyal she is. Unfortunately, she has heart worms and comes across as very shy. Also, she is an older dog which may or may not have an affect on her adoptability. If I was going to adopt a dog I probably would not want a dog that had heart worms. She is so loveable and has the sweetest eyes but I believe she is still at the shelter because she has heart worms. 

Strength and Improvements

This is the photograph that I chose out of my batch of 21 photographs. I think it is a pretty good image but definitely not my favorite because it needs some improving. The cropping cuts off one of the ears and I think that it would be beneficial to not have that ear cropped. I like symettry and it is aesthetically more pleasing to the eye, so with the ear in full it would be a better photograph. Also the image is a bit under exposed. The middle tones are too dark and give off this "middle grey" all-over feel. In regards to that, I think that the whites could be whiter. The whites could really "pop" if they were enhanced. There are qualities of this photo that I do enjoy such as the cat's expression. The animal looks very endearing and focused. Also, I ebjoy the detail in the whiskers because it is such a small aspect of the cat which gives the cat its "cat-like" qualities. It is almost like the "brand" of the animal. With that being said, the fact that the delicate whiskers stand out accentuate that quality of the animal. I also think I did a good job with a crisp focus on the animals face while having the rest of the photograph very "background-like" and blurred, making all of the attention on the face. The third aspect of this photo that I think is good quallity are the eyes. They really pop out and seem to twinkle!

21 pictures!

https://picasaweb.google.com/101721520772711325782/DurhamAnimalShelterWeek1?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3I8J-i1fn_Nw#

Where do all of these animals come from?!

This week volunteering at the animal shelter has lead to a few conclusions and assumptions to where these animals come from. The Durham Animal Shelter has around 10 pigs currently at the shelter. These pigs actually fell off of a carrying truck on their way to be... well... slaughtered. Though this is obviously a rare occurance, it is truthfully how they arrived.

 I think that a lot of the animals that come into the shelter come from families/individuals that could not take care or afford their animal anymore. I also thing that the younger animals come from families/individuals whose animal has not been spayed/neutered and have had a litter. I think these people cannot afford to take care of all of the puppies/kittens/rabbits/etc and bring them to the shelter in hope for finding them a home. I think some of the animals come to the shelter because of outstanding vet bills that a person cannot afford anymore because their animal is sick. I think some of the animals come from individuals who live in apartments and get caught for having their "aggressive" breed and are forced to move or give the dog away, so they end up giving it away. I work at an apartment community and I have seen 2 people in the past 2 weeks give up their animals because they either illegally had the animal there or their animal was not given proper attention and they ended up giving it away. It is sad and unfortunate that there are irresponsible individuals that do not think before they take a dog or cat into their home.

This image is the picture that I am the most proud of. I think I did a good job at really focusing a sharp view on the cat's face while the rest of the body/background is not in focus. I think the viewer's attention goes straight to the cat's face which has a very unique look. I chose this image as one of my best because it accentuates the animals colorful texture and I think it makes it more of an adoptable looking cat since generally people do not adopt darker/black/brindle animals. I also think the catch lights make the cat look very alive and ready to be adopted!

Metadata

After reviewing the multiple sources I would describe metadata as a compilation of information about a photograph. It is data that helps to organize ones images and helps better locate the images. Metadata is information about a photograph that describes multiple characteristics about the photo, whether it is telling you the date and time of the photograph or what the photograph is trying to portray. I feel that metadata is more than helpful for this class. Since this is a 6 week course and each week are taking 21 photos... that is over 100 photos. Also, most of us will have more than that (if we decide to keep the 2nd and 3rd "best choices") and if we are not organized it could be a big headache to find the photo. I think that tags are the best part about metadata because it is used with keywords. For instance, say I wanted to compile all of the black cats, I could type that keyword in and then my files would pull all of the "black cats" that I have to my attention.

I chose this picture because I used an option on my camera that I have not used before. When I was trying to photograph Jeffrey in class, professor Johnstone suggested that I try to focus with my lense on automatic then quickly switch my lense to manual to snap the photo. She suggested this because my camera would try and re-focus everytime the dog moved, causing me to never be able to get a photo. This is what I tried for this picture and I actually enjoy the way it turned out. As the dog sniffed I auto-focused then quickly changed the lense to manual to grab the photo. This image is this dogs first walk of the day. Yesterday, this dog missed out on getting walked so today it was the first one to be walked on the trail.

Before and After of Wonderful Bertha!!

<"Adoptable Dogs: Bertha." Animal Protection Society of Durham. APS of Durham, 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. http://www.apsofdurham.org/category/adoptable_dogs/.>
This is Bertha. She has been at the Durham Animal Shelter for a while. This is her before picture! Bertha is very shy and she is a bit of a nervous dog. This picture captures her being shy with her ears laying flat against her head. I don't think her looking scared is a great way to represent the dog. There is nothing wrong with being shy and I think the shyness can be brought out in more of an appealing and "cute" way, making the shyness of the dog a positive instead of a negative. I think the eye level is great because Bertha does have very beautiful eyes. The volunteer I worked with also mentioned how the darker dogs do not get adopted as much as the lighter color dogs. I think a way to bring out the special and unique features of the dogs that do have dark solid coats is to accentuate the eyes. Here the eyes really pop. I think that with the eyes standing out, like here, but with a perkier, aware and less shy shot of the dog, Bertha can look her best!

This is the after photo of Bertha that I have taken. I think this photo does Bertha much more justice than the first picture. Here, she is happy, attentive and her shyness is more suppressed. You get a feel of her old soul and kindness with her meek little smile!

How much does it cost to adopt?

I was surprised to find out the pricing of adoption. I assume because I have never adopted before that these prices were different than what I thought.

Me:
 I thought that adopting a dog would be between $50 to $100 dollars. I thought that adopting a cat would be anywhere between $30 to $50 dollars. I assumed this included a few vaccines. I thought that they didn't give them away for free because then anyone would come and adopt. I thought if the animals were free that people would mindlessly take the animals, not be prepared, and that many of the animals would end up back in the same spot. If you pay for your animal then you most likely are willing to drop the money because you WANT the animal. If you brought it home for free you may not have the money to pay for the services it may require later on.

Shelter Worker:
 One of the workers at the shelter told me that the cost to adopt can vary. She told me that for a dog it is around $125. She said for a cat it is around $95. In order to "hold" a pet it is $25. She said the fees for other animals (like the pigs) can vary. She told me that the costs include medical exams, spay and neuter surgery, possible microchips and multiple/different immunizations. This person wanted to stay anonymous. She says that she believes that pets are not given away for free because of all of the costs that the clinic is actually spending on the pets. They wouldn't be able to run a service if they paid out of pocket for the services I previously mentioned and then gave the animals away.

Shelter Visitor:
 I am only able to go to the shelter on the cleaning hours, meaning it is not open to the public yet. Since I was not able to ask a shelter visitor I asked my co-worker was she thought. Lindsay said "All together around $150, I think a dog is a little more expensive." When I asked her about what she thinks that includes "I am pretty sure the fee is high because that is how they make their money, that is where they get their food and the cats and dogs have had their shots and essentially you are paying them for that." When I asked her why she thought they didn't give them away for free she said "I think that they do a background check because they are not just going to give away animals to people that are going to give them up. They want to make sure the animals find good homes therefore the process is more extensive. I would take the time to go through it. Although it can be difficult times it will be worth it in the end and they will understand why they are doing that process." Lindsay did not want me to list her last name but that she what she had to say about the matter.

This is the picture that I chose to represents the responses that I received. Since I was surprised by the $95 fee of a cat I thought this was a good representation of why. Each cat is individual and have their own personalities. They are living creatures that differ from one to the next. Purchasing an animal is not like purchasing a new couch that comes equipped with all of the same feature. This cat is unique, spontaneous, responsive and can do tricks...obviously! I thought the unique stance of the cat represents the uniqueness that is in every animal!

Sights, Smells, Sounds

I got in! I got in!
 Today was my first day entering into the Durham Animal Shelter. As I waited in the lobby area I could hear tons of dogs barking. Once the volunteer came to pick me up and take me around everything became intensified. The smell was incredible, at some points it just smelled of urine and waste and near the door it smelled like a barn. I got there before the areas were cleaned so it was definitely at the smelliest and dirtiest part of the day. I was completely fine with that because it is the only time I have to photograph. It made me respect all of the volunteers because it is definitely a smelly and messy area. Last week around 6 pigs fell off a carrying cart and no one came to claim them so they are now being kept at the Durham Animal Shelter. It was interesting to go from a room full of cats, to a room full of dogs, to a room full of puppies, to a fenced in area full of pigs. The smells were all different and in some areas much stronger. I felt a little overwhelmed when I first entered the area with all of the dogs. It was really loud and it was a lot to take in. Each time we took a dog out of its holding area to take it on a walk all of the other dogs would get louder and louder and start jumping up on to the fence. I was thinking of how I would feel overwhelmed if I was the volunteer who had to walk the dogs. Every time she opened a cage to put the leash on the dog would go wild with excitement and jump all over her. It made me realize how desperate, excited, patient and well-awaited these animals are. She also brought up the fact that a dog may be in there all day and only get a 15 minute walk a day. Some dogs sometimes don’t even get around to be walked. Luckily, if a dog is not able to go on a walk that day, the next day it is the first dog to be walked! When I thought of what the dogs were thinking, I bet it was a very child-like half neurotic process of thinking. I bet their adrenaline pumped as soon as they saw someone approach the cage. I bet fits of excitement and curiosity passed through them as they saw someone come close yet walk on to another cage. I bet some of the dogs were desperate to get out and have their cages cleaned I saw multiple dogs that had their own feces all over their legs and feet and spread all throughout the cage. The dogs that I did see get leashed and brought outside seemed like they were going through a period of euphoria. I bet they felt SO appreciative and blessed. I bet they were thinking about how happy they were and excited to smell all of the plants and happy to feel all of the sunshine.
I will upload a photo as soon as I get off work!

This is my best picture from my orientation at Durham Animal Shelter. I like this picture a lot and I am proud of it. I am glad that I captured the face of the dog in good light and it is crisp and clear while the background is softly blurred, bringing the viewers attention to the face.

Looking forward to tomorrow

So tomorrow should be the big day for me! Unfortunately things happen and the head of volunteers got too busy last time I showed up. We chatted again and she said we will FOR SURE meet tomorrow at 8am! I hope it works out this time and I am excited about finally having some pictures to work with! Wish me luck :)

Durham Animal Shelter Website

There were so many ADORABLE dogs that I looked at on the site. It was hard to choose "favorites." I also find it difficult to choose a dog that you would consider one to take home just off of the picture, however, the pictures did a LOT. It made me think of how a good picture that can bring out the best in the dog really can attract a person to want to take the time to visit and possibly take the dog home. The three dogs that captured my eye were Millicent, Francine, and Opal.

Millicent:
 This dog stood out to me because it had such silly ears. The dog just looked like a goof ball which would fit well with my personality. I liked the way his head was cocked completely to the side- it made me think he was a very attentive and curious pup. He had a very endearing look and the site said that this dog was good with other dogs so that caught my attention!

Francine:
 Francine caught my attention because of her sweet eyes. Her little head had the cutest wrinkle on it and her fur looked SO soft. I just wanted to pet her! I also was drawn to her becaues it said she was food-motivated so it seemed like it would be easy to train her.

Opal:
 Opal stood out first of all because of her wonderful name. I love Opals and unfortunately I cant help but associate my love of Opals with Opal the dog. But realistically, this dog stood out to me  because her face just looks like she needs loving. The site said she was very anxious and her sweet and innocent look made me want to just hug her and make her feel calm. I enjoyed the straight on look too, it made me feel like she was looking right at me!

<"Adoptable Dogs: Millicent." Animal Protection Society of Durham. APS of Durham, 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. http://www.apsofdurham.org/category/adoptable_dogs/.>

This is the photo of Millicent. In MY opinion, based on the "guidelines" I believe that this animal does have the "irresistability" because it is SO silly. The catch lights are visible and I think that they could be made even more profound if some photoshop work was done to it (keep in mind this is the picture from the Durham Animal Shelter site). The imagery absolutely explores the animals personality. You can just tell this dog would watch your every move and do anything to have the ball thrown to it. This is the type of dog that could keep you smiling and on your feet because it is so attentive and "all ears." I love this photograph.
I do think that this image brings us closer to the animal. The person got in close and then got closer (whoever took the photo). Even though you are looking down on to the dog, you are still really in its personal space and that makes you feel close to the animal!



This is the photo that I took at the Durham Animal Shelter. This photo is different than my inspirational photo because it doesn't have the "silly" effect that drew me into the first photo. However, I feel that this photo has the important qualities for a good animal picture. I think it does have the irresistibility with the cat’s ears at attention and her face coming towards the camera. She has a very gentle look about her and it seems as though she is inviting the viewer in for a closer look. The catch lights are very apparent and give the cat lots of life inside those big greens.

Today is FRUSTRATING

Today was a HUGE let down. For a week the plan was for me to go to the Durham Animal Shelter to meet with the head of volunteers. I waited outside for 30 minutes and no one answered my calls or emails. After I left and headed out on the highway she called me and told me that she didn't see me. I feel upset because it seems like I am a hassel or something when really I just wanted to be there to help. Here are the two pictures I took today as I waited in the parking lot for no one to end up letting me in :(
It was also a frustrating day because I had to get up at 7am to be there by 8. Boo!

Day Three

Unfortunately I was unable to go to the Durham Shelter today. Hopefuly the woman I have been emailing with will respond and I will still be scheduled for Saturday! On Saturday I will be sure to post all of the things I went through! Or perhaps she will email me sooner and I can chat with her about what I am going to be doing and I can post on here!

Until then, here is another photo of Jeffrey!

Day Two (photo)

This picture came out beter than I thought. I do not like the angle, however. I would have liked to have been more on the dogs eye level as well as have the dog looking at the camera. I am glad that it didn't come out blurry but it could have been a lot more clear and crips. I also like that the dog is happy and smiling!!

Day Two

I have a Nikon D40 that is my little child and I absolutely love it. I was finding more cons to my camera this afternoon in class than I was the pros. I had a really hard time focusing. It is not that it did not focus, it was that once it focused it would not take the picture. It would have been a lot more simple if I was photographing a stationary subject. I could see in the lense that it would have turned out so great but I never could get that exact photo that I wanted to take! This happened to me when my lense was set to automatic focus. Once I switched my lens over to manual, I was definitely able to press my shutter and it took the picture however lots of the picture were blurry. I think I need more practice! Pros are that the camera does take good images if done correctly and the moment is actually captured. Another pro is that I am used to this camera so I can take the time to try out different effects since I have some options up my sleve!

Week 1

My name is Peyton and I am a Senior majoring in Studio Art. I will be graduating in December 2011. I am taking this class for multiple reasons the first being out of pure interest. I have never taken an online class, let alone an online class at Meredith and once I heard what it was about I was extremely interested. Unfortunately, I have met a lot of people throughout my four years in college who all the sudden think it is a good idea to have an animal. In most of these cases, unfortunately, these individuals or couples bought an animal without planning it out and had to give it away. I want to be able to promote a responsible and loving home so animals can be part of a family and not be taken in and then given away because of some humans irresponsibility. I hope to learn more about what actually goes on in animal shelters and learn and develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the volunteers and workers of these places as well as spend time with the animals. It breaks my heart and probably many others that (some) of these animals hardly receive any interaction or attention from humans so I hope to learn the value of that. I hope this class can be a step into more volunteer work for me and help me appreciate the innocence of these animals. I also hope to learn more about my camera and how to achieve the best picture possible. I am most looking forward to seeing the reactions of these animals (in particular the dogs) when they are able to receive some of the love I hope to bring. I am very excited about the act of taking the photographs but more importantly to hopefully find them a GOOD home! I am intimidated by doing this on my own. I will be going to the Durham Animal Shelter and I will not really have any connection with the people there. I hope I come across in the right manner and not as a bother. I have high expectations for an online class because of the independence of it. I definitely don't see this as a "breeze" as any means. For me and my schedule, this online class appears to be a challenge. I think it is going to take a lot of thoughtful input and time but I think it is going to be so gratifying that it wont be hard to put in the time like it would be to a math class. I think the flexibility will be beneficial as long as it is planned and orderly. Sometimes too much freedom is a bad thing.